Kienböck's disease: unusual cause of acute onset wrist pain in a dialysis patient

Abstract

Kienböck's disease is a rare disorder that presents with wrist pain and limitation of motion and is caused by avascular necrosis of the lunate bone. Dialysis patients occasionally present with wrist pain. However, Kienböck's disease is rarely reported in dialysis patients. We report a case of 52-year-old woman with a 28-year history of hemodialysis who presented with acute wrist pain. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed diffuse low intensity of the lunate bone, consistent with the diagnosis of Kienböck's disease. Because this disease can lead to chronic debilitating wrist pain, prompt diagnosis, accurate staging, and provision of appropriate treatment is mandatory.